Jab

One of the four major kinds of punches in Boxing. A jab is a simple straight punch. Unless you're an extremely hard puncher, like Mike Tyson, the jab is a very important weapon for a Boxer. The goal of a jab is usually not to hurt your opponent. A jab is used to keep your opponent at a good distance (especially for boxers who don't do well "inside"), to check your distance to set up a power punch and to cut down on your opponent's visibility. A good jab can also be used to get in close to your opponent. In general, a jab is used either defensively or to set up harder blows.

A fighter that relies heavily on his jab can sometimes be boring though. By constantly keeping their opponent at arms length they can keep ahead on points and win the match. Unfortunately, it pays to be an "exciting" fighter in boxing and the intelligent outside fighter can have a hard time getting a title or big money fight.